tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:02:35 +0000patentswackycopyrightbusinessUSPTOpatent court of appealslibrary of congresslawnewsresourceslocalpoliticsinnovationcongresshistoryintellectual propertysearchinginventionsIPdr. philtrademarksinventorslibrarieshigh techSan Francisco Public Library Patent and Trademark Center Bloghttp://sfptdl.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)Blogger210125http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.gifSome Rights Reservedtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-5414663412779084645Mon, 02 May 2011 19:56:00 +00002011-05-02T12:56:06.360-07:00Farewell!To my wonderful readers: I am going to be moving on from my terrific post as patent librarian at SFPL, and so this blog is going to have to be shuttered.  Perhaps the next patent librarian will pick up the torch, so check in at http://www.sfpl.org/. Photo courtesy of PA Attorney General's Office Website. http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=3313 Thanks for the thoughtful comments http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/05/farewell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/JjY1vJ1yMlE" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-8181993127266695186Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:02:00 +00002011-04-16T14:02:06.022-07:00Should juries look at a patent's validity?UCLA law professor Doug Lichtman wrote an op-ed in the New York Times today about a patent case that is soon to be considered by the Supreme Court. At issue, in both the case and the article, is the question of whether a juries in patent lawsuits should be discouraged from questioning the validity of a patent, as they currently are.  This practice stems from the assumption that patent examiners,http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/04/should-juries-look-at-patents-validity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/VhO9aIgrnRY" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-1752657288082370910Sun, 10 Apr 2011 22:31:00 +00002011-04-10T15:31:31.566-07:00"Names do give you issues..."There's a great little piece in the NY Times Diner's Journal blog about a chocolate shop owner in NYC who was recently denied permission to call his shop Chocolate Library because the name might confuse consumers. For the record, the name-denial came from NY state authorities, not the PTO, but it's still a good lesson about the importance of reading up on the legal ins and outs of naming a http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/04/names-do-give-you-issues.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/-sKfy-qX0j0" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-8996484614488459149Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:22:00 +00002011-03-13T12:22:12.130-07:00Another artist gets sued for copyright infringementFirst it was Shepard Fairey, then Jeff Koons, and now, according to the Art Newspaper, LA artist Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash, is the latest popular artist to be involved in a copyright kerfuffle. Mr. Brainwash is being sued for basing a work from his 2008 show "Life is Beautiful" on a popular photo of Run DMC. I wonder if art schools are adding IP classes to their curricula?http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/03/another-artist-gets-sued-for-copyright.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/4xL2rwiv0VE" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-6395456907380525831Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:21:00 +00002011-03-07T10:21:27.011-08:00Patents and drug companies -- bad news for the bottom line, and maybe a new business modelThere's a great article from yesterday's NY Times noting the impending expiration this year of Pfizer's Lipitor and several other "blockbuster" drugs. The long and short of it is that drug companies are finding that their traditional business model, which is to spend millions of dollars developing patentable drugs, then making the money back (plus a healthy profit!) from the proceeds of their http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/03/patents-and-drug-companies-bad-news-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/WerCBMC2qNc" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-965386327843696343Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:59:00 +00002011-02-20T12:59:45.217-08:00"Urban Homesteading" trademark -- legit mark or trademark bullying?TechDirt ran a piece this week about alleged "trademark bullying" by a family who registered "urban homesteading" as a federal trademark. The story raises an interesting question -- how should the USPTO handle phrases that are in common usage, even if they aren't registered?  I once attended a talk by a trademark examining attorney, and she described the process that they used to allow or rejecthttp://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/02/urban-homesteading-trademark-legit-mark.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/p8Q11AEUksw" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-6526530631187817676Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:50:00 +00002011-02-07T11:50:43.371-08:00Calendar year patent statistics are now availableThe USPTO's Patent Technology Monitoring Team has posted calendar year statistics up through 2009.  These reports offer a glimpse into the USPTO's activities and, by extension, to technological advancements and the economy in general.  Have a look!http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/02/calendar-year-patent-statistics-are-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/0bh2DgFDxQI" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-1540318957216585225Sun, 06 Feb 2011 20:19:00 +00002011-02-06T12:19:00.735-08:00"...support from local clowns." The balloon animal lawsuit saga continuesI posted a link a week ago about popular artist Jeff Koons' threat to sue a local shop for selling bookends that look like balloon animals. The Chronicle dug a little deeper and talked to the shop owner.  It's an interesting story.  Apparently the clown community in San Francisco is rallying around this guy.http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/02/support-from-local-clowns-balloon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/r_qIqP7KJXg" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-7915764197983123024Sat, 05 Feb 2011 19:18:00 +00002011-02-05T11:18:39.343-08:00The future of the PTDLP -- have your say in a teleconference with USPTO Director KapposAttention inventors, small business owners, large business owners, technology enthusiasts, and library users of all stripes: USPTO Director David Kappos wants your input about how you currently use the Patent and Trademark Depository Library network and what direction you would like to see the PTDL take in the future. The Director's Roundtable will take place on February 15 at 10:30am (PST).  http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/02/future-of-ptdlp-have-your-say-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/d1IfjkBecdY" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-4719448054159018528Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:05:00 +00002011-01-31T12:05:39.414-08:00Jeff Koons copyright lawsuitCelebrity artist Jeff Koons is involved in a copyright lawsuit, which is not unusual for an artist who regularly appropriates images from popular culture for his artwork. What is unusual this time is that Koons is a plaintiff, suing San Francisco gallery/gift shop Park Life for selling balloon animal book ends. Koons claims that the bookends violate his copyright for his famous Balloon Dog http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/01/jeff-koons-copyright-lawsuit.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/VbOcTS_wYLs" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-6211206049770507535Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:59:00 +00002011-01-23T12:59:35.327-08:00IBM's Meta-PatentThere was an interesting article at Slate this week about IBM's patent application for a patent management system. The system, which would manage IBMs intellectual property portfolio, speaks to the enormous importance of intellectual property to a large corporation and to the increasing complexity of managing IP.http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/01/ibms-meta-patent.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/jqkChZbx1_o" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-8996590917434182471Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:36:00 +00002011-01-08T10:36:01.944-08:00Happy (Belated) Public Domain Day!I am gradually catching up on my reading here, and I caught this interesting post from Jill Hurst-Wahl's Digitization 101 blog about works entering the public domain on January 1st, the day that copyright protection expires for, this year, works of authors who died in 1940, including  F. Scott Fitzgerald, Marcus Garvey, and Emma Goldman! The post also points towards a tantalizing page from http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-belated-public-domain-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/TAFl1qskIoQ" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-7260078405705341546Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:11:00 +00002011-01-08T10:11:58.549-08:00Wallace's Great InventionsIf the winter weather (or anything else) is getting you down, have a look at this great invention. This is part of a great series from Aardman Animation called "Cracking Contraptions," featuring exquisite Rube Goldberg-esque inventions courtesy of window-washer/amateur inventor/cheese enthusiast Wallace and his companion Gromit.  I came across this while looking for this clip that I remembered http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2011/01/wallaces-great-inventions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/8BHAhTX0np0" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-2583084561634435334Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:57:00 +00002010-12-20T10:57:22.518-08:00Tear the roof off the suckerEntertainment Weekly reports that George Clinton is suing hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas for copyright infringement for failing to clear their sample of his 1979 track "(Not Just) Knee Deep" in two remixes of their song "Shut Up." Funkadelic samples are everywhere in hip hop, notably used by Dr. Dre and De La Soul among many others.  I wonder -- maybe George just doesn't like the Black Eyed http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/12/tear-roof-off-sucker.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/hHRSyGeBziM" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-6865603888946863943Sat, 18 Dec 2010 18:28:00 +00002010-12-18T10:28:03.443-08:00The first patent? Recipes!All you cooking/public radio enthusiasts out there may have caught the trivia question on last week's The Splendid Table with Lynn Rosetto Casper. If not, Lynn reveals that the first known patent law was on the books of the ancient Greek city Sybaris.  The winner in an annual cooking contest was given exclusive rights to prepare the dish for the whole year.   Listen to the segment here. http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/12/first-patent-recipes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/aa4B-HdyAkc" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-1194296565526761332Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:41:00 +00002010-12-13T11:42:01.493-08:00FR Notice from USPTO: Pilot Program for Extended Time Period for Missing Parts in Nonprovisional ApplicationsThe USPTO is implementing a pilot program 'in which an applicant can request a twelve-month time period to pay certain fees and to reply to a Notice to File Missing Parts of Nonprovisional Application." Read the whole notice here and let them know what you think!http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/12/fr-notice-from-uspto-pilot-program-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/ax9k0zLuPy8" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-2660439643605425440Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:33:00 +00002010-12-18T09:46:58.349-08:002010 USPTO Performance and Accountability Report is available nowThe USPTO's annual performance review is up and available for viewing here. It looks to me like the pendency is still a bit longer than they'd like it to be, that they cut costs without a major impact on productivity, and that electronic filing a payments now make up nearly all transactions. Anyone else want to point out your highlights (or lowlights)?http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/12/2010-uspto-performance-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/YtJgnUtk6GY" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-1149382192694732650Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:55:00 +00002010-12-06T10:55:17.723-08:00A tale of patent intriguePatent librarian extraordinaire Michael White spins a great tale of  patent intrigue that includes political assassination, terrorist attacks, and patent that "disappeared" from the files because of political pressure. Check it out at White's blog, the Patent Librarian's Notebook. Great coffee break reading!http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/12/tale-of-patent-intrigue.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/KbXQEAMaDC4" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-7307178874180647314Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:28:00 +00002010-12-05T16:28:52.741-08:00USPTO website survey begins Dec. 7The USPTO is conducting a survey on their website and I'd like to encourage anyone who regularly uses USPTO.gov, TESS, PatFT, etc., to please take the survey if prompted. I know it can be kind of a drag, but the USPTO is committed to improving their web presence and user input is essential!  Think of it as a chance to let them know what you want from the site.  Get the details here. I'm back http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/12/uspto-website-survey-begins-dec-7.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/6uucYM2HruI" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-1695037027990027466Sun, 31 Oct 2010 20:12:00 +00002010-10-31T13:12:41.146-07:00On hiatusHi folks!  This blog is going to be on hiatus for November.  See you December! -The Managementhttp://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/10/on-hiatus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/he4AYIpMXHA" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-4360124920801987024Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:48:00 +00002010-10-25T10:48:58.892-07:00Independent Inventor's ConferenceIt's once again time for the USPTO and InventNow's annual Independent Inventor's Conference. Registration is open for the conference which will take place at the USPTO's campus in Alexandria, VA, on November 4 and 5. Get the full details here. Who's ready for some networking?!http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/10/independent-inventors-conference.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/z11pRdtHKPU" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-8704557388181063128Sat, 16 Oct 2010 18:31:00 +00002010-10-16T11:31:09.503-07:0030 Dumb Inventions via LifeFrom good ol' Life: LIFEembedDrawGallery(25371); http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/10/30-dumb-inventions-via-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/XgDfYFNTiSo" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-7745751040986565015Sat, 16 Oct 2010 18:00:00 +00002010-10-16T11:00:08.643-07:00Apple awarded patent for text message content control programTechCrunch reported this week that Apple has patented a computer program that allows users to censor certain words from incoming and outgoing text messages. The TechCrunch story focuses on the parental control (anti-"sexting") potential of the patent, which I'm sure will be a big seller for parents who are on the fence about allowing their teenage children to have iPhones.  Another potential usehttp://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/10/apple-awarded-patent-for-text-message.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/15PeQ1i-sGo" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-1441208036817819795Sat, 02 Oct 2010 17:42:00 +00002010-10-02T10:42:42.163-07:00Tech dominates patents in the Bay AreaWell, duh, right?  But I hadn't realized the extent of the domination of high tech industries in Bay Area patent applications until I caught a glimpse of a list of the top 25 patent recipients in the Bay Area in the Oct. 1-7 San Francisco Business Times. Of the top 25, only three were not software, hardware, or network companies: UC Berkeley was number 8, Stanford 22, and Genentech just made thehttp://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/10/tech-dominates-patents-in-bay-area.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/CgevNo8ENik" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500650142663311052.post-4245629114678250776Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:08:00 +00002010-09-27T14:08:09.541-07:00Trademarks and reality TV collide yet againThe Hollywood Reporter reported (what else?) Friday that Paris Hilton and Hallmark have agreed to a settlement an alleged TM infringement involving Hilton's catch phrase "That's Hot." I would recommend, however, that non-heiress trademark applicants do a little research about choosing a strong trademark so that there won't be any questions about the validity of a mark in the future.  Here are http://sfptdl.blogspot.com/2010/09/trademarks-and-reality-tv-collide-yet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SFPatentLibrarian)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SfPatentAndTrademark/~4/s55ut-60mpA" height="1" width="1"/>